In a lovely little bedroom just east of the Hall of Warriors, Princess Haoxin di Nushi pulled the needle for the final time through her grandson's little blue robe with extra fingers, the stitching so precise that it looked like part of the seam. Her dear little Zan had been playing in the Hall of Warriors, and gotten too close to the Sword of Heroes. The boy wasn't hurt, thank heaven, but a massive tear had been left in his robe. Zan was currently being given a bath by a servant, and Haoxin could hear his happy cries from where she was sitting.
Haoxin held up the robe in front of her for examination. Satisfied with the result she folded the robe over one wing and left the room. As she walked down the corridor, she hummed to herself, a little tune she had learned when she was a little girl. Soon she reached the door to the room where Zan was being bathed. Aside from his cries, splashing sounds could now clearly be heard. Zan was clearly enjoying himself.
Haoxin chuckled and knocked on the door. In a second the door opened.
"Oh, your highness." The servant bowed.
"Good afternoon." Haoxin held out the robe. "I just fixed my grandson's robe. Could you put it on him when he comes out?"
"Yes, your highness." The servant bowed again, and waited until Haoxin was making her way back down the corridor before closing the door.
When Haoxin stepped into the Hall of Warriors, the first person she saw was Zeng, another servant who also doubled as a messenger. He was busily dusting the armor of the late Master Flying Rhino.
"Zeng!" She called. The goose jumped and almost knocked over the armor.
"Y-your highness!"
"I'm sorry for startling you." Haoxin waddled over. "Any news from Di Tan?"
It had been a few weeks since Di Tan had left with the kung fu masters and Emperor Xian, and Haoxin was still waiting for his letter.
"I'm sorry, ma'am. No mail has arrived this week."
"What about from Master Baby Blu?"
Zeng blinked.
"Excuse me, ma'am?"
"Master Pingu." Haoxin repeated.
Zeng stared at her.
"Who are you talking about, ma'am?"
"Master Portaloo?" Haoxin was beginning to get impatient. "Master Shy Woo? Master Dog Poo?"
"Who are all these people, you highness?" Zeng exclaimed.
"You know who I'm talking about!" Haoxin said. "Green robe, ears the size of plates…"
"Oh, you mean Master Shifu, ma'am." Zeng said.
Haoxin laughed.
"Master Shifu?!" She exclaimed. "Don't be absurd! What kind of name is Shifu for a master! Shifu means 'master!'" She laughed again. "Master Master!"
Zeng stared at her as if she had grown breasts, then cleared his throat.
"Well anyway, there has been no word from him, either."
"Oh well." Haoxin sighed. "Thank you anyway, Zeng."
As Haoxin waddled off, Zeng muttered to himself;
"God, I pity him."
Pong, eight year old piglet and protégé of the mega-awesome Dragon Warrior, sat alone in the corner of Dragon Warrior Noodles and Tofu, absent-mindedly dragging his chopsticks through the noodles in front of him. It wasn't a busy day, so the eating area was quieter than usual.
Several weeks have passed since Su, his friend and fellow kung fu student, had left unexpectedly. Pong had first realized that she was gone the day after Po and the other masters had left the Valley for a secret mission, and Su didn't turn up for meditation class. No-one in the palace seemed to know where she was, and the imperial soldiers who had been placed in the palace to protect the members of the royal family would let him approach them to ask, so he had gone down to Mr. Ping's restaurant for answers. The old goose had avoided the question for some time before finally revealing that Su had gone on an unexpected trip. Pong had a bad feeling that it was no ordinary trip, but Mr. Ping had refused to say any more. He didn't even mention when Su would be back.
Pong remembered the goose looking just as worried as he was.
For the next few weeks afterward, Pong had continued his daily lifestyle as he always did: he practiced kung fu, he hung out with his friends, he visited the noodle shop after a hard day of hitting himself with his own staff, and he asked about Su. Each time Mr. Ping would wear that worried expression and tell the boy that she would be back soon.
And now Pong was sitting at the table in the far corner, picking at his noodles, beginning to fear the worst. There was obviously Mr. Ping wasn't telling him, and if he wasn't willing to tell him, then whatever it was must be bad.
"Where the heck are you, Su?" Pong muttered to himself. "Wherever you went, you better get back soo-"
Bump!
Pong jumped as something suddenly knocked against the table, nearly spilling his bowl. When Pong looked up, he gave a cry of delight.
"Dragon Warrior Po! You're ba-" He stopped and cringed in embarrassment. "Oh sorry, mister. I thought you were the Dragon Warrior."
The large panda standing over him merely chuckled.
"It's alright, son." He said. "Judging from your reaction, I'm guessing you know my son?"
"Your son?!" Pong looked at the goose currently collecting empty dishes three tables down then looked back at the panda. "B-but…"
"I'm his birth father." The panda said with a small chuckle. "It's confusing, I know."
"Qiang!" Pong was suddenly aware of another panda, one who looked significantly younger, standing just behind the first. "Don't tease him."
Qiang merely chuckled again.
"Sorry, Ming." He said, then turned back to Pong. "You must be Pong." Pong nodded silently, still in shock. "Ah, Po told me a lot about you."
"H-he did?" Pong asked nervously. He was still trying to get his head around the fact that the Dragon Warrior apparently had two dads.
"Yup!" Qiang replied merrily. "He says you're just like he was when he was a kid. Anyway, do you know where Mr. Ping is?"
At that moment there was a squawk. Mr. Ping had just spotted Qiang and Ming, and a second later he was shaking the panda's paw vigorously.
"Qiang, it has really been too long!" The goose exclaimed happily. "And I see you've met Pong, too!"
About eight months to be exact." Qiang replied. "Oh, and it's good to see you too. Where's Po? I thought I would find him here."
At that, Mr. Ping's face fell.
"I'm terribly sorry, Qiang." He said. "Po isn't here. He left a few weeks ago with his friends on a mission."
Qiang frowned, looking disappointed.
"Drat." He said. "Do you know when they'll be back?"
"It's been a few weeks, like I said, so it shouldn't be long now." Mr. Ping replied. "They said they would send a message when they begin the return journey."
"Aw well." Qiang said. "He's the Dragon Warrior, so what can you do?"
"Indeed." Mr. Ping sighed. "Anyway, would you like some tofu? Free of charge with purchases!"
"Mr. Ping, do you know where Su is?" Ming asked. "Her parents came with us and they're dying to see her."
Mr. Ping gulped. Qiang frowned. Pong looked up questioningly.
"What's wrong?" Qiang asked.
Mr. Ping didn't answer. Qiang's eyes narrowed and he grabbed the goose by the shoulders.
"Ping!" He snapped. "Has something happened?"
"What's going on?"
Pong gaped as two more pandas stepped into the restaurant, this time clearly a couple.
"Qiang, why are manhandling your son's adoptive father?" The lady asked. Pong swallowed as he realized that he was staring at Su's mother.
Qiang released Mr. Ping with a small grunt.
"Mr. Ping, where's our little girl?" The father asked.
"Yes, Mr. Ping." Qiang asked. "Where is Su?"
"I can't say here." Mr. Ping tilted his head very slightly in Pong's direction, something the piglet noticed. "Come into the kitchen. Oh and uh… don't freak out."
Su's parents glanced at each other nervously. Then they, Qiang and Ming followed Mr. Ping through the tables and into the kitchen. The door slammed shut.
Pong quickly got off his stool, passed the tables and put his ear up against the door, just in time to hear Su's mother cry out in horror.
"She did WHAT?!" She screamed.
"She stowed away in one of the carriages?!" Su's father cried. "Why would she do something like that?!"
"Please, let me explain!" Mr. Ping exclaimed. "Here, this is the note she left me the day she and the others left. I think there may have been a misunderstanding."
There was a pause. Pong guessed that they were reading the note.
"What do you mean, 'misunderstanding?" The panda called Ming asked.
"According to this note, Su thought that something had happened to you two." Mr. Ping said, probably talking to Su's parents at that moment. "She must have gotten so scared that she acted recklessly."
Pong didn't know what 'recklessly' meant, but he guessed that it was a bad thing.
There was heavy breathing sound. One of the ladies, probably Su's mother, was having a panic attack.
"Oh god… oh god… oh god, my baby…"
"Where did they go?" Qiang demanded.
"To the Himalayas, I think." Mr. Ping said. Su's mother let out a tiny shriek. "I'm sorry, but there's no point in trying to go after her."
"But she could be killed!" Su's father yelled.
"Excuse me, but you forget who she's with." Mr. Ping replied.
"Wh-"
"Wait, he's right!" Qiang said. "Pong…" Pong the piglet's heart froze. "Pong, listen to me. Your daughter is currently with my son and his friends, who are all very powerful kung fu masters. They would never let any harm come to her."
Pong relaxed. So he and Su's father shared the same name. Who would have guessed?
"But my daughter…"
"Will be fine." Qiang said soothingly. "And don't forget that Su is a very smart girl. By now she'll have realized her mistake, and will be less willing to act impulsively after that. She always does her best to stay out of trouble if she can."
There was silence as Su's parent seemed to consider this.
"In any case, we should probably stay here until she and my son return home." Qiang said. "Mr. Ping, where is the nearest inn?"
"There's one a few buildings down. I'll draw a small map if you wan-"
"Hey, coming through!"
Pong spun around to see a rhino making his way through the crowded tables. Judging from his armor, he was a soldier from the palace.
Pong quickly moved away from the door and back into the nearest corner. The door opened moments later and Qiang and Mr. Ping stepped out.
"May I help you?" Mr. Ping asked.
The soldier gave the goose a respectful nod.
"Pardon my intrusion, Princess Haoxin De Nushi has not received any news from Mr. Di Tan for several weeks. Since the pair of you recently became friends, she has sent me to ask you if you know of his whereabouts." The soldier said.
"Princess Haoxin? The foster aunt of the emperor?" Mr. Ping asked, having never met the woman. "All I know is that he left with my son and his friends to go visit some relatives."
"I see." The soldier said. "Thank you for your time."
The soldier turned on his heel and began making his way back to the archway exit… and found his path blocked by a small black hawk.
"Excuse me, are you the soldier in command of the army protecting the royal family?" The messenger asked.
The soldier nodded warily.
The hawk wordlessly handed him a small scroll and flew off.
The soldier unrolled the scroll. Seconds passed as he read the contents. His eyes narrowed grimly. He turned round and made his way back to Mr. Ping. On both sides the customers continued dining, ignorant of what was about to happen.
"You are the father of the Dragon Warrior, correct?"
"Yes." Mr. Ping and Qiang spoke at the same time. They glanced at each other.
"I think he was talking to me." The goose said, and turned back to the soldier. "Yes."
"Then I'm afraid I have some bad news." The soldier spoke solemnly.
The words that followed were spoken too softly for Pong to hear. When the soldier finished, Mr. Ping seemed to become very quiet and still. Qiang's eyes widened, and his mouth opened and closed several times, and suddenly he lashed out and snatched the scroll and examined it himself, as if he didn't really believe what had just been said. Qiang's jaw quivered for some time. Apparently the message was real. But then Qiang seemed to notice something strange about the scroll, and he turned it over. Whatever he saw made him shout with rage, finally drawing the attention of the customers.
"WHAT THE HELL KIND OF JOKE IS THIS?!"
Qiang's shout made Pong shiver in fear, and brought out Ming and Su's parents to investigate.
"Qiang, what's going on?" Ming asked anxiously. "What's that scroll you-"
Thump!
Ming stopped short. Qiang spun around at the sound.
He dropped the scroll when he saw Mr. Ping lying still on the ground.
"Mr. Ping?" Qiang knelt down beside the goose.
Pong looked on in terror. He didn't have to be an adult to know that something was horribly wrong.
"Mr. Ping, can you hear me? MR. PING! SOMEONE GET A DOCTOR! SOMEONE GET A DOCTOR NOW!"